Apparatus for maintaining predetermined pressure conditions in gasretorts



A. A. MACINTOSH AND W. H. HUNT.

APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING PREDETERMINED PRESSURE CONDITIONS IN GAS BETO-RTS.

APPLICATION man APR. 2. I917.

1,329, 129, Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT curios;

ABCHIBALD summons. uncmrosn, or or. KILlDA, AND "WILLIAM HENRY HUNT, or MELBouRNE, vrcronm, sus'rmm.

APPARATIJ'S FOR MAINTAINING PBEDETERMINIiDPRESSUR-E CONDITIONS IN GAS- RETORTS.

1,329,129. Specification of Letters rams- Patented Jan. 27,1920. 1 Application filed April 2, 1917. Serial No. 159,283.

To all whom z'tma concern:

Be it lCflOWIl t at we, ARCHIBALD ALEX- ANDER Maorurosn and .WIL-1,1AM HENRY' HUNT, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at 15 Loch street, St. Kilda, and 3&0 Spencer street, Melbourne, respec- .tively, in the State of Victoria, Australia, have invented certain new and useful I -1nprovements in Apparatus for Maintaining Predetermined Pressure Conditions in Gas- Retorts; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has been devised to provide apparatus calculated to maintain equilibrium or'any predetermined condition of pressure in retorts or gas ofitake pipes from llOYlZ-Oi'lfifil inclined or vertical gas making retorts from colic ovens chamber ovens or other apparatus oi like nature used in making.

The invention is also applicable for suecessful employment to retorts or ovens wherein the volatilization of other suitable substances is to be conducted and from which gases or volatilized mineral matters are produced.

in the pest devices have been employed in the man cure of gas, for instance, and knownas retort house governors and their like having diaphragm governing bells balance or counter-balance weights; these have been aimed at maintaining an quilibrium or pressure in the foul gas mains, e. the mains in communication with the retorts, but in practice it has been found that such appliances do not satisfactorily fulfil the function of maintaining an equilibrium or predetermined condition of pressure in the retorts or gas ofitake pipes from the retorts or gas generators. We have found by experiment that by the use of our invention a satisfactory maintenance of an equilibrium or any predetermined condition of pressure is achieved with regularity and reliabilit in any individual retort or gas ofitake irrespective of the predetermined condition of pressure in any other retort or gas oiftake even though common members of the same installation.

In order that our inventlon may be the more easily understood, reference may be made to the accompanying sheet of drawin' s, in which 1 he figure is an end elevation partly in cross section illustrating an apparatus as To the second chamber a is attached a T piece valve or other suitable connection c open tothe atmosphere and inside of said T piece valve 0, or other connection as men tioned, is fitted an adjustable threaded sleeve 05 which may be raised orlowered by screw action by the thread at the sleeve 65 being adjusted by a screw driver operating in an incision 05 to regulate the height of the liquid its normal line in both the chambers a and a in the vessel, a.

into the first chamber a is admitted the gas offtalre pipe 6 from the retort the downwardly pointing extreme end of which when in operation is immersed in the liquid ;1'

the said vessel, a. Attached to the top oi: i

being that when any pulsations and abnor 4 mal suction take place in the leadaway foul gas main 9 the liquid in the first chamber a will rise proportionately in such chamber and enhance the depth of immersion by liquid of the inlet pipe e leading from the retorts; the air, coming freely into the second chamber a maintains a constant barometric pressure upon the'surface of the liquid 7 therein and the screw-threaded sleeve d maintains the normal level of escapement of the liquid f from the vessel. A small inlet pipe h is provided for the maintenance of the supply of liquid which is constantly running into the first chamber.

In some cases we may prefer to cause the pipe h to deliver its liquid supply in jets or sprays into the upper portion of the ofl'take the dotted position a to employ a perfo rated loose cover a placed over it tokeep dust from entering a.

In operation the level of the liquid 7 in the second and first chambers a and a respectively is adjusted by raising or lowering by screw action the adjustable sleeve (2 hereinbefore mentioned in order that there may be a constant stream of liquid flowing over into and escaping by the said adjustable sleeve (Z (or valve) and as the air enters through the upper end 0 of the T piece 0 (in the lower portion of which the sleeve 03 is set) the vacuum, which varies in the foul gas exhauster main g will operate upon the water f in the first chamber raising or lowering, as the case may be, the said liquid therein and increasing or decreasing the depth through which the foul gas in e from the ofi'take pipe of the retorts, is to travel before reaching the upper part a of the first chamber a, and proceeding from thence to the exhauster foul gas leadaway main g.

By the means we have described a constant equilibrium or any predetermined condition of pressure in the retorts or offtake pipe leading from the retorts is automatically preserved.

In manufacturing gas from coal, the greatest volume of pure gas is obtained when there is perfect equilibrium, that is a balanced pressure within and outside of the retort. By this, we mean that the pressure within the retort is equal to the pressure of the atmosphere. Under these conditions, a U tube gage attached to the retort will show that the liquid therein is level, by being level in both limbs of the U tube. The reason why it is preferable to obtain and maintain this equilibrium, is to prevent the escape of the gas through the cracks in the walls of the retort, by which the quantity of gas, tar, andammonia recoverable from a given quantity of coal, would be reduced. The pressure of'the gas in a hot retort above atmospheric pressure, furthermore, causes a loss of gas, tar and ammonia, by overheating the gas, inasmuch as it then comes into contact with the hot walls ofthe retort with resultant decomposition of hydrocarbons and other ingredients of gas. In cases where there is negative pressure in the retort, furnace gases and air will be drawn into the retort with the result that the gas therein is diluted with nitrogen and carbon dioxid, and the air thus drawn into the retort may cause combustion of the gases therein, resulting in a loss in their calorific value.

We would therefore have it understood that by the means we have before descrlbed we are enabled to employ without varying v the equilibrium or predetermined condition .of pressure a varying cond tion of. vacuum in the leadaway foul gas main 9 to induce a flow of gas from the generator or retort through the inlet pipe 6 the outflow bein controlled by a liquid bath as f in which the inlet pipe e is submerged, the depth of such submersion being automatically counterbalanced during the varying conditions of vacuum (caused by the exhauster) by the admission of a pre-arranged and maintained supply of liquid f and the free inlet of air to the opposite s1de of a dividing plate or diaphragm as b in a water seal chamber as a.

2' is a runaway tar pipe which at any convenient distance may join with the runaway pipe 03 and which may beemptied of tarry matter from time to time by the usual means. Lids as k and k for cleansing purposes may be employed where shown so as to enable the workmen to freely ,use a vtool in the direction required.

Preferably but not arbitrarily we would employ one of the complete sets as illustrated to each retort, but it is obvious that we may amplify the method and means we have hereinbefore explained by employing only one sleeve and open throat for the atmosphere to the outer side of a diaphragm or dividing plate to a plurality of inlets as e and outlets as g in which case the one vessel with the sleeve and opened atmospheric throat would de facto fulfil the function of maintainin equilibrium or any predetermined con ition of pressure to a plurality of retorts or gas ofi'takes from retorts.

'It will be obvious from a perusal of the drawings and description hereinbefore set forth that were a plurality of retorts employed to the one governing means as last aforesaid adjustment could be made for the varying conditions in any individual retort or gas ofi'take from retorts.

We claim as our invention:

1. An apparatus of the class described,

comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a liquid and having two compartments con- 2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a liquid and having two compartments con-' to and liquidpermitted to escape from theupper portion of the second con'ipartment in the said receptacle, and means associated with the said device for regulating and determinin' the height at which the liquid escapes from the second compartment of the receptacle.

3. An apparatus of the class described,

comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a liquid and having two compartments connecting adjacent the bottom of the receptacle, an intake pipe leading into and extending below the liquid level in the first compartment of the receptacle, an outlet pipe leading from the first compartment of the receptacle, a T pipe connected to said receptacle, through which air is admitted to and water permitted to escape from the second compartment in the rece tacle, and an adjustable sleeve in said T pipe for de-.

termining the height at which the water in the receptacle is permitted to escape.

4. An apparatus of the clas described, comprising a receptacle, a artition wall extending downwardly into t e rece tacle to a point adjacent the bottom thereo so as to divide the interior thereof into two coinpartments communicating with one another beneath the lower edge of the said partition wall, an intake pipe leading into and extending below the liquid level in the first compartment of the receptacle; an outlet pipe leading from the first compartment of the receptacle, means for admitting liquid to the said first compartment of the receptacle, a T pipe connected to-said receptacle, through which air is admitted to'and water permitted to escape from the'second compartment in the receptacle, and an adjustable sleeve in said T pipe fordetermining the height at which the water in the receptacle is permitted to escape.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER MACINTOSH. WILLIAM HENRY HUNT. Witnesses:

AUGUSTINE THOMAS MADDEN, ESTELLA RITA SIMMAT. 

